This exercise simulates what happens when you walk and run, and is an approximation of how much you structurally overpronate. This is most easily done in front of a long mirror or with the assistance of a friend.
First, stand on a hard surface with your feet comfortably apart, feet straight forward and parallel. Lean slightly forward and bend your knees so that your hips drop 4-6 inches straight down. Don’t squat, and keep your heels on the floor.
Pay attention to where you feel the most pressure under the balls of your feet. Is it in the middle, on the little toe or big toe side?
Next, move your knees toward each other until you feel full weight bearing pressure under the ball of the foot behind the big toe. (the pressure should be at least as great as anywhere else under the foot.)
Next, with knees in that position, draw an imaginary line from the middle of your knee straight down to the floor.
6.0 mm:
If the line intersects with your feet in front of the big toe or further toward the middle of your body, you’ll need 6.0 mm ProKinetics® UltraThin Insoles or in the case of using the ProKinetics® Replacement Insoles, add the orange wedge over the red to make it 6.0 mm.
3.5 mm:
If the line intersects with your feet between the big toe and second toe or over the second toe, 3.5 mm ProKinetics® UltraThin Insoles or
the red wedge only on the ProKinetics® Replacement Insoles will be sufficient correction.
Your response to your structural over-pronation determines how you get started. Your success with these insoles rely on a proper start and break-in.
Over 60% of people who over-pronate need to start in 3.5 mm correction or the red only correction.
You belong to this group if you tend to have a hard outside heel strike with a wear pattern that tracks forward on the outside heel and if you have a middle to outside wear pattern in the forefoot.
If the knee bend test above indicates you ultimately need 6.0 mm correction, wear the 3.5 mm for 7-10 days before you move up by either switching to your 6 mm UltraThin pair or adding the orange wedge to your Replacement Insoles.
If the wear pattern on your shoes leaves you in doubt, but the knee bend test shows you need 6.0 mm correction, you are safe starting with 3.5 mm. These small dimensions look very innocent, but because your neuromuscular system amplifies the feedback, too much too soon will hinder your progress. If you need to start slow and need the UltraThin insoles, purchase the Perfect Fit™ package which gives you over 50% discount on the extra pair.
If you have questions, call your distributor or Posture Dynamics M-Th, 9AM – 4PM Pacific tine at 360-459-2153 or toll free at 888-790-4100 from US and Canada.